Legislation for effective local govt system demanded

Islamabad: Executive Director of Sustainable Social Development Organisation (SSDO) Syed Kausar Abbas said while talking to media in Rawalpindi, that the Punjab government should enact effective legislation to empower local government system in the province. Funds of local development should be spent by elected local representatives rather than administrators and members of national and provincial assembly.

All political parties and stakeholders should be consulted for effective and empowered legislation, immediately terminate the administrator system and ban on all funds and projects. Empowered local government and inclusive local development is the real democracy, says a press release. Syed Kausar Abbas said in his important statement that the law of local governments are not properly promulgated yet which needs to be developed in consultation with all the stakeholders of Punjab including civil society, local government institutions and political parties. For the past several years, the system of local governments has been inactive, which is a question mark on democratic governments. It is a violation of Article 140-A of the Constitution of Pakistan.

He said that the Punjab government should immediately start the consultation process with all the stakeholders and make effective legislation for a functioning system of local governments, so that local representatives can solve public problems at their doorsteps. He further said that the funds of the administrators should be banned, this system should be abolished, and the implementation of elected local governments should be implemented.